By John Corrado

New releases for the week of November 29th, 2024.

Theatrical Releases:

Moana 2 (Wide Release): Moana (Auliʻi Cravalho) and Maui (Dwayne Johnson) return for another ocean adventure in this sequel to Disney’s 2016 hit. It’s a perfectly adequate and at times fairly enjoyable sequel, but it also lacks much of the first film’s spark. This sequel was initially intended as a Disney Plus streaming series before being retooled into a feature length theatrical release, and we can tell. The story feels overly episodic and recycles a lot of plot points, and the songs aren’t as memorable or catchy. It’s a step down from the first one, but younger kids will enjoy it, and it’s about to make Disney a boatload of money. (Full Review)

Maria (Limited Release): Chilean filmmaker Pablo Larraín completes his famous women trilogy with this biopic of Italian opera singer Maria Callas in her final days, starring Angelina Jolie. It doesn’t have the same impact as its predecessors Jackie and Spencer, and is the most conventional of the three films. But Jolie delivers a good performance as Callas, and the technical elements are strong. It’s worth seeing for Ed Lachman’s gorgeous cinematography alone. Opens at TIFF Lightbox in Toronto, before streaming on MUBI in Canada on December 11th. (Full Review)

Flow (Limited Release): This wordless, gorgeously animated film from Latvian director Gints Zilbalodis is an eco parable of animals trying to survive a flood in a washed out wasteland littered with haunting remnants of humanity. The animals are led by a curious, solitary black cat learning to play with others. I just watched this again after seeing it at TIFF, and a second viewing helped me appreciate more of the little details in this animated world. The virtual camerawork is so free-flowing and immersive, and I really like how all of the animal behaviours are so realistic (case in point, when the cat starts batting at the lemur’s tail). Opens at TIFF Lightbox in Toronto. (TIFF 2024 Review)

The Heirloom (Limited Release): This first feature written and directed by actor and filmmaker Ben Petrie, and produced by real life partner Grace Glowicki, dramatizes their experience adopting a rescue dog from the Dominican during the pandemic. Petrie turns it into a shape-shifting blend of mumblecore and quasi-documentary, starring himself and Glowicki as Eric and Allie, a Toronto couple who bring dog Milly into their lives. There is a meta edge to the narrative, as Eric insists on recreating scenes for the movie he is making within the movie, that Glowicki exaggeratedly performs as Allie. It’s an interesting mix of dog movie, indie relationship drama, and formally experimental statement on the filmmaking process, set over a Toronto winter during lockdown. Opens in limited release at Carlton Cinema and The Revue Cinema in Toronto.

More Releases: The G (Limited), That Christmas (Limited), Queens (TIFF Lightbox)

Streaming Releases:

Our Little Secret (Netflix): This week’s Netflix Christmas offering is also the third of their Lindsay Lohan rom-coms following 2022’s Falling for Christmas and Irish Wish earlier this year. Lohan stars in this modern screwball comedy as Avery, who goes to her boyfriend Cameron’s (Jon Rudnitsky) house for Christmas, only to discover that her ex-boyfriend Logan (Ian Harding) is dating Cameron’s sister Cassie (Katie Baker). Avery and Logan make the decision to keep their past a secret, especially from Cameron’s overbearing mom (Kristen Chenoweth). An awkward holiday gathering with the in-laws ensues. The film delivers some laughs (if it’s a bit too mean-spirited in places), and Lohan continues to reestablish herself as a fine comic lead, including when Avery ends up accidentally stoned at church. It’s a fun enough piece of predictable holiday entertainment.

Beatles ’64 (Disney+): It’s not like we are lacking in terms of documentaries about The Beatles, but this time capsule of the British band’s first trip to America in 1964, from director David Tedeschi and producer Martin Scorsese, is really well done. The archival footage is delightful. It’s mainly a wonderful trip down memory lane, including for those of us who weren’t even born yet. (Full Review)

More Releases: Nutcrackers (Disney+), The Snow Sister (Netflix), The Madness (Netflix)